Art & Life with Joseph Valery

Joseph, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far. I was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Bloomington, California, a small town in the Inland Empire. My passion for music started at the very young age of four. I was introduced to music by both of my parents. Growing up, there was a lot of music played around the house. I remember listening to artists like Luther Vandross, Yolanda Adams, Michael Frank, Earth Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and many more. Music ran through my blood. Both of my grandfathers – my mom’s father and my dad’s father – were both musicians. My mother and father would both say that the gift for music skipped them both and came straight to me. I was first introduced to the drums in church and started playing in my father’s church at the age of eight. I played all the way through grade school and through high school. Then from high school, I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I struggled musically for two years in college because I had no formal training. I was self-taught as a child and played drums by ear. As a result, I failed all of my music courses and passed all of my general educational courses and was placed on academic probation. I was so discouraged that I returned home and quit playing drums. I remember my professors suggesting that I consider changing my major because they had no time to get me up to speed on my sight-reading and piano and music theory courses. I quit playing drums for about five years and started working a day job and pursued another interest – MODELING!

Five years later, I reconnected with my gift through a series of random people calling me and telling me I needed to start playing drums again. A friend would call me every week and would ask me to come play a mid-week church service at his church, and I’d always say no, I didn’t want to play. It felt like everyone and everything around me was drawing me back to my instrument. This went on for about six months, and then I finally told my friend I would come and play one time and one time only. Ever since that church service I played, I never stopped playing.

In 2007, I attended the Los Angeles Music Academy. Since then I’ve worked with artists and actors, such as TYGA, Amber Riley, Malese Jow, Eric Zayne, Jesse Jackson, Frank McComb, and I’m currently working with Brooke Simpson (finalist from season 13’s The Voice – Team Miley).

“When the dream is bigger than you, it won’t let you quit!” JV~

Can you give our readers some background on your art?

I am a professional drummer in Los Angeles, California, and I love to create music. I have been playing drums professionally for 10 years. My responsibilities as a drummer are to keep time and make the music I’m playing in the moment feel as good as possible. Drumming for me is a way to express myself and communicate on a higher level with people through music. I take pride in my gift and am honored to inspire others through music.

I play drums because I believe it’s what God has called me to do. I truly believe that everyone was created by God for a very specific purpose. I believe your purpose is oftentimes wrapped in a gift, and one of my gifts happens to be drumming. Finding your gift takes time. The message in my story is DON’T QUIT!!! The process may be very challenging but keep fighting for your dream. No matter how small it may be or how big it may seem, keep moving forward. What keeps me motivated is my relationship with God. I believe that when God calls you to something, he will give you the strength to endure and the tools you need to accomplish the goal, so trust the process! Anything is possible!

“When the dream is bigger than you it won’t let you quit”! JV~

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about? The artist’s role and responsibility in the world today is to provoke the change they want to see in the people around them. As an artist, my touch in the music scene can affect the girl, who’s struggling with suicide and is hanging out at the local club I’m playing at, enjoying her last drink. I believe our gifts as artists are our stages to reach the world and the people around us, but our heart is the tool God uses to express love to others through the art community. Though our environments change, our roles as artists have not changed.